Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Shipbuilding

Mare Island Naval Shipyard constructed at least eighty-nine sea-going vessels. Among the more important ships & boats built were:

1858 USS Saginaw – sloop-of-war, wood
1872 USS Mohican – sloop-of-war, wood
1875 USS Monadnock – monitor, steel
1886 USRC Cosmos – Revenue Cutter, wood
1904 USS Intrepid – training ship, steel barque
1907 USS Prometheus – collier, steel
1911 USS Jupiter – collier, steel. Later converted to aircraft carrier USS Langley
1913 USS Kanawha – tanker, steel
1913 USRC Guard - Revenue Cutter Service harbor tug, wood
1913 USS Palos – gunboat, steel
1913 USS Monocacy – gunboat, steel
1914 USS Maumee – tanker, steel
1915 USS Cuyama – tanker, steel

1916 USS Shaw, destroyer - steel
1916 USS California – battleship, steel (32,500 ton)
1916 USS Caldwell – destroyer, steel
1917 Fifteen submarine chasers - wood
1917 Fairfax – destroyer (Destroyers for Bases Agreement)
1917 Taylor – destroyer
1918 Boggs – destroyer (World War II)
1918 Kilty – destroyer (Guadalcanal campaign - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa)
1919 Kennison – destroyer (World War II)
1918 Ward - destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor – Guadalcanal campaign - Philippines campaign (1944-45))

1918 Claxton – destroyer (Destroyers for Bases Agreement)
1919 Hamilton – destroyer (invasion of North Africa - Philippines campaign (1944-45))
1920 Montana – battleship (43,200-ton) (scrapped under terms of the Washington Naval Treaty)
1920 Litchfield – destroyer (World War II)
1920 Zane – destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor – Guadalcanal campaign)
1921 Wasmuth – destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor)
1922 Trever – destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor – Guadalcanal campaign)
1922 Perry – destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor - Battle of Peleliu)
1922 Decatur – destroyer (World War II)
1927 USS Nautilus – submarine (sank 6 ships in 14 World War II Pacific patrols)
1928 USS Chicago – cruiser (Battle of Savo Island - Battle of Rennell Island)
1931 USS San Francisco – cruiser (Attack on Pearl Harbor - Battle of Cape Esperance - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal - Battle of the Philippine Sea - Philippines campaign (1944-45) - Battle of Okinawa)
1934 USS Smith – destroyer (Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Philippines campaign (1944-45))
1934 USS Preston – destroyer (Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands - Naval Battle of Guadalcanal)
1935 USS Henley – destroyer (Attack on Pearl Harbor - Guadalcanal campaign)

With the prelude to, and the outbreak of World War II, the Mare Island Naval Shipyard specialized in submarines, and other than a few submarine tenders, no more surface ships were built there. MINSY continued building non-nuclear subs through the Cold War including two of the three Barracuda-class submarines and the Grayback, an early guided missile launcher. In 1955, Mare Island was awarded the contract to build Sargo, the first nuclear submarine laid down at a Pacific base. The shipyard became one of the few that built and overhauled nuclear submarines, including several UGM-27 Polaris submarines. 1970 saw the launching of USS Drum, the last nuclear submarine built in California. In 1972, the Navy officially ceased building new nuclear submarines at Mare Island, though overhaul of existing vessels continued. The Nautilus was decommissioned at Mare Island in 1980, then rigged for towing back to Groton, Connecticut to serve as a museum of naval history.

1936 USS Pompano – submarine (sank 6 ships in 7 World War II Pacific patrols)
1936 USS Sturgeon – submarine (sank 9 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols)
1937 USS Swordfish – submarine (sank 12 ships in 13 World War II Pacific patrols)
1939 USS Fulton – submarine tender (World War II)
1939 USS Tuna – submarine (sank 4 ships in 13 World War II Pacific patrols)
1939 USS Gudgeon – submarine (sank 11 ships in 12 World War II Pacific patrols)
1941 USS Sperry - submarine tender (World War II)
1941 USS Silversides - submarine (sank 23 ships in 14 World War II Pacific patrols (3rd highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1941 USS Trigger - submarine (sank 18 ships in 12 World War II Pacific patrols (11th highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1942 USS Bushnell - submarine tender (World War II)
1942 USS Wahoo - submarine (sank 20 ships in 7 World War II Pacific patrols (6th highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1942 USS Whale - submarine (sank 9 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols)
1942 USS Sunfish - submarine (sank 15 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols)
1942 USS Tunny - submarine (sank 7 ships in 9 World War II Pacific patrols Vietnam War)
1942 USS Tinosa - submarine (sank 16 ships in 11 World War II Pacific patrols)
1942 USS Tullibee - submarine (sank 3 ships 4 World War II Pacific patrols)
1943 USS Howard W. Gilmore - submarine tender (World War II)
1943 USS Seahorse - submarine (sank 20 ships in 8 World War II Pacific patrols (6th highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1943 USS Skate - submarine (sank 10 ships in 7 World War II Pacific patrols)
1943 USS Tang - submarine (sank 24 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols (2nd highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1943 USS Tilefish - submarine (sank 2 ships 6 World War II Pacific patrols)
1944 USS Spadefish - submarine (sank 21 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols (4th highest number for a U.S. submarine))
1944 USS Trepang - submarine (sank 11 ships in 5 World War II Pacific patrols)
1944 USS Spot - submarine (sank 1 ship in 3 World War II Pacific patrols)
1944 USS Springer - submarine (sank 4 ships in 3 World War II Pacific patrols)
1945 USS Nereus - submarine tender
1945 USS Stickleback - submarine (1 World War II Pacific patrol)
1947 USS Tiru - submarine
1951 USS Bass - submarine
1951 USS Bonita - submarine
1957 USS Grayback - submarine